Great Lent #13 - 19/03/2011

Meaning of Church Vessels contd.

The Chalice and Paten - The Chalice which holds the Eucharistic wine is the most important of all sacramental vessels. The Patent holds the Eucharistic bread. The Paten and Chalice recall the mystery of the Last Supper, the bread standing for the Body of Christ and the Wine for His precious Blood.

Shushafo (Veil) - This white veil is used to cover the Paten and Chalice. It represents the fact that the Divine Mysteries are hidden from the understanding of men and that the divinity and humanity united in Christ, the Divine Word, is beyond human comprehension just the same way as the transformation of bread and wine to flesh and blood of Christ is beyond our perception.

The Censer - It has a lower half and upper half, four chains and 12 bells. The lower cup of the censer represents the earth and the upper cup the heaven. The coal in it represents the sinners. The chains represent the Holy Trinity. The first chain stands for God the Father. The second and third chains represent the human and Godly nature of the son. The fourth chain represents the Holy Spirit. The 12 bells represent the 12 Apostles of Christ. The four chains have a total of 72 links to represent the 72 evangelists of the Old Testament who prepared men to be worthy of the new covenant with God. The fire signifies the Holy Spirit by whose contact the black coal shines and glows. The incense shows the grace of the Holy Trinity. As the smoke goes up to the high so also our prayers should go high (Psalm 141:2)

Marvahtho (Fan) - A Fan shaped silver object mounted on a long pole. In the center of the fans, the seraphic face and wings are represented. The fans symbolize the presence of angels around the altar. The sounds represent the seraphim's and the flutter of their wings around the mysteries. It is carried in processions and shaken at the most solemn parts of the Qurbana.

The Lectern (Gospel stand or Evengelion table) - This is the pulpit which symbolizes the heights of Mount Sinai from where God spoke to Moses and handed him the stone tablets (Exodus 34:2). Mathew 5:1 tells us that Christ went up a mountain to preach the gospel to the multitude. Therefore the Book of gospel, which points to Christ Himself, is placed on the gospel stand.

Great Lent #12 - 18/03/2011

Today we will learn about Meaning of Church Vessels.

Thabilitho - this is a piece of wooden slab placed at the center of the altar and is covered with cloth. The Paten and Chalice are placed over it. It is consecrated with Holy Chrism by a Bishop during the consecration of a church. Each tabalitho has inscribed on it the following: "The Holy Ghost has hallowed this tabalitho by the hands of Mar..." and the year. The Holy Qurbana can be celebrated any where with this slab. Without this the Qurbana cannot be celebrated. Thabilitho symbolizes the cross on which our Lord was crucified.

The Cross - The cross is placed in the middle of the altar. It symbolizes our Lord's sacrifice on Mount Golgotha. The Cross is the symbol of peace, victory, and salvation. It is also described as the weapon in the struggle against Satan.

The sign of cross is made with the right hand. The thumb, first finger, and second finger are brought together and the first finger is extended further than the thumb and second finger, indicating that Christ is the One and Only Savior. The sign of cross is drawn starting from the forehead, down to the chest and then from the left to the right shoulder. This tradition symbolizes that the Lord Christ, came down to earth from the heights, and redeemed our earthly body from the gloomy paths of darkness (left), to the paths of truth and light (right).

Candles - God is the light of the world. Jesus said "I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life" John 8:12. The candle in the middle of the altar represent the resurrected Lord. The twelve candles represents the twelve Apostles. The burning of wax reminds us that we should be prepared to sacrifice ourselves to lighten others.

Great Lent #11 - 17/03/2011

Being a Syrian Orthodox Church member each one of us should be aware of what our church is and how it is built. What is Liturgy and what is the meaning of each and every thing priest does in Holy Altar. It is easy to stand in church and watch Holy Mass like a Forign language film. But if we learn more about church it make us walk with Jesus! Today we can discuss about the Church as a whole in brief.

The church building has the following four parts:

1. Holy Sanctuary (Madhaba) - Place of Sacrifice
2. Part inside the rails (Azhikakam) - Holy Place
3. Nave (Hykala) - Main hall for congregation
4. Narthex (Court of the Gentiles)


The Holy Sanctuary - The Syriac term madhb'ho means the holy place. It is at the eastern end of the Church and represents heaven. "Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the East. And behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the East....and the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east" Ezekiel 43:1,2,3. "... for the facade of the temple was toward the east..." Ezekiel 47:1. In the Sanctuary the Body and Blood of our Lord are offered by the priest, the representative of Lord, in the midst of deacons and candle lights.

The Veil (Curtain) - The veil that separated the Madbaha (Sanctuary) and the Nave signifies the sky which separates the Heaven and Earth. (Exodus 36:16, 40:3,21)

The Altar - The alter is often referred to as the 'Table of Life' because on it we find the bread of life. It is also called the 'Tomb of the glorified Lord' because the bread and wine placed upon it are transformed into the Body and Blood of our resurrected Lord.

Great Lent #10 - 16/03/2011

The history of the Syriac Orthodox Church is characterized by adversity. Byzantinian oppression in the sixth and seventh centuries was followed by the atrocities of the Crusaders in the 11th and 12th centuries, then decimation at the hands of the Mongolians lead by Tamerlane (1336-1405) in about 1400, and severe restrictions under the Ottoman Sultanate. The growth of nationalism in the waning years of the Ottoman Sultanate lead to the massacre of about 25,000 in what is today South East Turkey in 1895-96. An even greater calamity occurred in 1915, etched in the memory of the Syriac Orthodox community as the Sayfo (Year of the Sword), wiping out 90314 people (including 154 priests) in 13350 families in 346 villages representing about a third of the Syriac Orthodox population in the area (according to the records compiled by Patriarch Aphrem I). Further misery came with the Kurdish rebellion in 1925-26, when the Kurds used the monasteries of Mor Malke and Dayro da-Slibo and the churches in Basibrin and near Hbob as bases. The immense suffering and destruction from 1895 onwards resulted in the alteration of the demographics of the community and mass emigration to other areas in the Middle East, notably Syria, to the North and South Americas, to different parts of Europe, and to Australia.

Amidst all the adversity, the Church produced several illustrious saints whose lives and works had such immense influence not only on the Syriac tradition but much of Christendom. The rich liturgical heritage of the Syriac Orthodox Church is but one of their legacies. Scholars of the Church such as Mor Ya`qub of Edessa, George, the Bishop of the Arabians, and Moses Bar Kepha played an important role in transmitting Greek knowledge to the Arab world. Numerous Syriac Orthodox authors have also recorded historiographical accounts. Among them are such works as the Ecclesiastical History of John of Ephesus, the Chronicle of Jacob of Edessa, the Chronicle of Zuqnin (erroneously attributed to Patriarch Dionysius of Tel-Mahre), the Chronicle of Patriarch Mikhayel Rabo, the Chronography and Ecclesiastical History of Maphryono Gregorius Bar `Ebroyo.

In coming days we will learn more about our Liturgy and Holy Fathers.

Great Lent #09 - 15/03/2011

The Syriac Orthodox Church is one of the most ancient Christian Churches tracing its roots to the Church of Antioch. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts of the Apostles 11:26). Apostle Peter is believed to have established a church in Antioch in AD 37, the remnants of which are still in Antakya (the modern name of Antioch), Turkey. After the martyrdom of Apostle Peter, he was succeeded by St. Euodius and St. Ignatius Noorono as shepherds of the flock in Antioch and in the writings of St. Ignatius we find the evolution of the ecclesiastical order of bishops—ordained successors of the Apostles in whom continued the spiritual authorities vested by our Lord in the Apostles. The bishophric of Antioch was recognized in the ecumenical Synod of Nicea (AD 325) as one of the Patriarchates of Christendom (along with that of Alexandria and Rome). It produced a line of succession beginning with Apostle Peter which continues to this day in the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Antioch was at the time of Christ the capital of the Roman province of Syria and an important center of commerce. As a city imbued in the hellenistic culture, Greek was the common language. But the majority of the people in the region, especially outside the cities spoke Syriac, the Edessene dialect of Aramaic, the language spoken by our Lord.

The disciples Addai, Mari, Aggai and Apostle Thomas, are believed to have spread the Gospel in the regions north east of Antioch, of Edessa (Urhoy) and Nisibis and further to upper northern Mesopotamian plains between Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The Syriac Doctrine of Addai recounts how Christ send Addai, one of the Seventy Disciples, to King Abgar of Edessa. It is believed that Apostle Thomas went further east arriving in what is today India in AD 52. Many important and influential centers of Syriac speaking Christians emerged in the cities such as Edessa (Urhoy), Adiabene (Hadyab), and Nisibis (Nsibin). While Antioch was the seat of the bishophric, Edessa is often considered the cradle of Syriac Christianity.

The Church of Antioch played a significant role in the early history of Christianity. It played a prominent role in the first three Synods held at Nicea (325) , Constantinople (381), and Ephesus (431), shaping the formulation and early interpretation of Christian doctrines. In AD 451, the Council of Chalcedon and its Christological position resulted in a schism that divided the faithful under the Apostolic See of Antioch into two—one today known as the `idto suryoyto treeysath shubho (Syrian or Syriac Orthodox Church) and the other the Eastern Orthodox (or Rum Orthodox) Church of Antioch. The latter had the support of the Byzantinian Emperor Justinian who convened the Council of Chalcedon. The years that followed resulted in a struggle over the Apostolic See, with bishops of both persuasions assuming the position of Patriarch of Antioch. In 518, Patriarch St. Severus was exiled from Antioch. The seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch moved to different monasteries including Qartmin, Qenneshrin (Chalkis, near Aleppo), Malatya, and Amid (Diyarbakir), and finally settled in 1293 in Dayro d-Mor Hananyo (also known as Kurkmo Dayro in Syriac and Deir Zafaran in Arabic) in Mardin. It remained at this monastery until 1933 when the political circumstances forced its migration to Homs, Syria, and later to Damascus in 1959.

Great Lent #08 - 14/03/2011

After reading my Daily mails so many people reply me with so many questions! I believe most of the doubts occur just because of lack of knowledge! We don’t know what we are! What Church we represent? What is our true faith?

Syrian Orthodox church is mainly built on 2 main pillars.

1. The Holy Bible
2. The Tradition

Apart from The Holy Bible, our fore fathers had developed a tradition which we are supposed to follow now also. Once I send a mail asking some questions about the Tradition of Priest Vestments! Next week when I went to church, my friend who is also an altar boy asked me whether he can light the Holy Censor with fan, or is that a “Variation in Tradition”. Even though I enjoyed the joke, I felt it is high time for us to learn what we stand for! The basic stone is laid on the above two pillars. If we feel we don’t need those, then there is no Church. I am planning to write about Church History, Our Holy Fathers and various Traditions in our church in coming days!

The church is the body of true believers in Christ. Eetho, the syriac word for Church, means ‘to bring together’. The word Church itself has it etymological roots in Green word ecclesia, which means to call and separate. The roots of the word can also be traced to the Hebrew Quhal, which means assembly summoned. The Church is the heaven on earth.

Great Lent #07 - 13/03/2011

The Church celebrated Memory of St. Ephrem the Syrian yesterday. We remember St. Ephrem in our fifth Diptych. We sing his songs in our prayers. I can never be justified if I won’t write about St. Ephrem.


Ephrem the Syrian, the greatest classical writer of the Syrian church was born in A.D 306 in Nisibis (North West of Mosul, Mesopotamia). His father is said to have been a heathen priest worshipping an idol called abnil. But the child Ephrem refused to accompany his parents to the temple of Abnil for which he was severely punished. He was later brought up by St. James the Bishop of Nisibis. He accompanied St. James to the council of Nicea at the age of 22.


Lamy, a noted biographer describes Ephram as “From the time he began to lead a monastic life till his death, he ate nothing but barely bread and dried herbs and sometimes green herbs. He drank nothing but water; his flesh had dried up in his bones until he resembled baked clay. His clothing was a mass of patches of the colour of mud. He was a small stature; his face always grave that he never laughed; he was bald and wore no beard.”


After baptism in early manhood he was ordained deacon in AD 338. He probably lived as a monk apparently never entered priesthood. Though in the clergical hierarchy he was just a decon, he is remembered as a great doctor of the universal Church.


After the death of James, Bishop of Nisibis, Ephream left for Edessa and went to Urahai. It is told that he met a great ascetic “Yulian”. Ephrem learned various tough practices of ascetic life from him. Ephrem started a monastic life of extreme austerity during this time and started composing hymns. He taught his followers through his songs and revealed divine mysteries in his poetry. About the poet in Ephrem, Lamy wrote, “No other writer has ever possessed the power of bringing tears to the eyes while the reader is profoundly stirred….” Ephrem’s teachings are centered as practical Christian life – free-will, supernatural gift, spiritual combat, and devotion to Virgin Mary.


After the death of Contantine Nisibis was invaded by Sapor King of Persia. The prayers of Ephrem resulted in withdrawal of Sapors forces. St. Ephrem was called as “Violin of Holy Spirit” by St. Ivanios. In his last days he told his disciples “Don’t give me a great funeral, don’t deliver long speeches praising me. Don’t build monuments in my name. Don’t save my relics, as I am a sinner. ” He died on 9th June AD 373.